“Beijing Express”: “We laugh at what Jérémy and Fanny said”, assure the Belgian brothers – 20 Minutes

They weren’t there to joke around. Lucas and Nicolas, the two Belgian brothers aged 29 and 37 from Malmedy, won the final of Beijing Express, on the lands of the golden eagle broadcast Thursday on M6. During the final stage which took place in Dubai, they made short work of their adversaries, Jérémy and Fanny, the “dreamy” couple, from whom they recovered the entire pot. The brothers therefore presented themselves on the starting line of the final sprint with the largest possible amount, 100,000 euros, which they therefore indeed pocketed. Interview with a duo who has a humble victory. You have flown over this season. Did you think you would outclass your opponents that much? Nicolas: We honestly didn’t expect to perform so well. Lucas and I know each other very well, we know what we are capable of and we know that our great strength is our minds, never giving up, never giving up. Sometimes there was a bit of luck, sometimes a bit of strategy, but from there to doing this course, no, we did not imagine it for a single second. You have gleaned a large number of victories, which annoyed Jérémy and Fanny. Were you aware of the tensions? Or is it with the television broadcast that you find out what this couple says about you? Lucas: We knew there was a bit of a rivalry. We take it all as a joke. There are indeed things that are said and which are surprising, but we must not forget that we are in a race, that there is stress. It also happened to us to say things without thinking. It’s a competition. They sometimes arrived right behind us, or within minutes, I can understand their reactions. We don’t know how we would have reacted in their place. It’s a game. We have a very nice contact with them, we laugh together at the words that can be used. People have to understand it: yes, there are things that are said, yes, there is nervousness, but it’s adventure, it’s tension, there are a lot of things that come in in line.
N.: You really have to put all that into perspective. At the start of the final sprint, you had 100,000 euros. Did it give you the niaque or it put you under pressure?N. : it puts additional pressure. I have a memory where, before kick-off, Stéphane Rotenberg talks to us and I half listen to him because I’m already in the race and there’s only one thing to do: win it. In season 7, Ludovic and Samuel had lost, I didn’t want us to be the second pair of Belgian brothers to experience the same thing season 7]. And in the home stretch, you realized that you were the first to arrive…L. : I screamed and all the memories came flooding back: the moment when we took the blindfolds off our eyes at the very beginning, the hitchhiking, the massage session… Everything, everything, everything came back. We felt enormous gratitude for our families who supported us from the start, who accepted that we were gone for so long. We felt a mixture of many things. We were happy, excited, but also sad that the adventure is ending. Are you aware of being a popular pair with the public? Belgium follows your adventure?N. : We receive a lot of messages on social networks or from people in the region. We can’t go shopping without being told about it. It remains temporary. I am delighted to find my family cocoon, to be able to drink my coffee on the terrace without being called out or asked for a photo. I completely understand the people who are happy for us, I thank them, but we didn’t do this for notoriety. We participated for the game, because it is an extraordinary adventure. What did you discover about yourselves and your brother during this adventure? L. : I discovered that Nico had unfailing strength of character. When he has an idea in his head, he doesn’t have it elsewhere. Sometimes it’s even hard to follow. We both understood that we could be an impressive support to each other. Beijing Express opened my eyes to all the things to discover in the world, it made me want to go and see other things.
N.: Before the adventure, Lucas was an introvert. He kept his feelings to himself. In the game, he opened up, he confided, he let go. I think it did him good. It will serve him personally and professionally. And I, who am a very calm guy… (Lucas laughs) Me, who follows someone who is very nervous, very angry, who annoys me for nothing when something is wrong, that taught me to put things into perspective, to find the solution before getting angry.